had to remove the ac today edit:not as upset over the result

[draculia]

i didn't want to drop the ac, but after charging the system i found a few leaks. rather than being something simple like a seal, these leaks were worse. so i decided to pull it for now.

so to my point. i pulled everything in the engine bay, and all components only came to about 27 pounds. the ac system in my jetta was much heavier, so i guess i was expecting something along those lines. oh well, its still 27 pounds off the front. it also allowed me enough room to put my new fan in without removing the front end.

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

so to my point. i pulled everything in the engine bay, and all components only came to about 27 pounds. the ac system in my jetta was much heavier, so i guess i was expecting something along those lines. oh well, its still 27 pounds off the front. it also allowed me enough room to put my new fan in without removing the front end.


That upsets me as well! when i removed mine I thought it was about 35-40 pounds, and going off of what other friends cars were I thought it was!

[draculia]

what pisses me off more is that just about everything besides the lines and compressor were leaking...bad. i wanted my ac damnit ](*,)

as long as i can suffer through this summer i'll be all set though. i'll have a dd by next summer.

i'm still torn if i want to pull my PS or swap to a quicker ratio. i might get away with an e30 m3 rack set up as a manual, but i don't want to muscle a super quick rack. i'll have to experiment this week. :twisted:

[swimerskidude15]

crazy...i just took mine out today too opens up some nice intercooler space in front of the radiator :twisted:

i weighed mine in at 29.5lbs

[draculia]

i just weighed it with my shipping scale, and it comes in at 27 pounds 2 ounces. keep in mind that weight does not include the auxilary fan. i have that weight listed in my weight reduction thread along with screaming's.

mine didn't open any ic space, but it did make a nice new home for my fan that barely fit in there. i used a 16" but a 14" would have an easier time fitting.

[hella 325]

A/C whats that? hehe.....

[Giga Shadow]

Ac is for wemon. :D

[diegom6]

I bet the whole A/C system won't do crap for better time in 0-60 or 1/4mile, the engine won't ever get hurt by the weight of it or not regarding times.

[e30_325es]

I agree with you Deigo, straight line speed will not be noticably affected by removing the A/C. However, by removing weight off the front of the car, through corners like on a track or autocross, you might notice a difference in how the car handles, because it would help front/rear weight distribution.

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

also, more room for a turbo :twisted:

[swartz]

did u remove the condensor,evaporator,fan,compressor, and there is some shit in the dashboard for the ac to take out also..theres that bracket on the side of the block that is attached with allen keys

[draculia]

as stated, everything in the engine bay. all bolts, clamps, brackets, etc. the only thing i didn't include was the aux fan, which is about 5 pounds, i have the exact figure in a few threads. i have not yet touched anything in the cabin.

as far as it affecting speed, the rule of thumb(i've been saying that a lot lately), is every 100 pounds drops 1/10 off your et in the 1/4. there really isn't any drag by the compressor when its not engaged, so its maybe robbing 1/4-1/2 hp from the car.

its never about the individual mod. dropping 27 pounds isn't very impressive and won't affect too much, but overall i'm down over 350 pounds so far. that will have a great impact on performance in every reguard, handling, acceleration, and braking.

[draculia]

pulled the remaining 2 lines and evaporator from the interior. those came to 6 pounds 6.2 ounces, and with the 5 pound 10 ounce aux fan that brings the total ac system weight up to 39 pounds 2.2 ounces. now i'm not as upset about the results. i was expecting about 45 pounds total, so things are a little brighter.

one thing to note is that you will need to plug the hole in the plastic cover over the evaporator and reinstall it, otherwise most of the air for your blower will just go out the big opening.

[E30Andy]

if you still have the reciever/dryer, and it is working, I will buy it off you. (if you want to get rid of it)

I'm also in need one hard line running along the PS fender. I will take a pic of it, it has a hole in it.

and then an r134 recharge

[draculia]

i'm keeping all the decent components at this point, just in case i want to go back.

[Chris]

one thing to note is that you will need to plug the hole in the plastic cover over the evaporator and reinstall it, otherwise most of the air for your blower will just go out the big opening.

Looks like I will be going this route soon.

Do you have any other additional tips or suggestions for removal?

[draculia]

removal is very easy and straight foward. there are a few things that i will note though.
1. some of the fittings are big. i believe one of them was over 1" which is my largest wrench, so be prepared with a big adjustable.
2. i pulled my aux fan out in pieces because i couldn't get the mounting bolts loose, so i don't know how easy it is to remove it intact.
3. there are two connections on the condensor, you only need to remove the top one. trace the other line back to the drier and remove the fitting at that location. its easier to do it there, and you can remove the condensor with the line attached.
4. the connections at the condensor are fragile, so be sure to use a wrench to hold things steady.
5. when removing the hoses from the compressor, unbolt the allen head bolts(2 per hose). this is much easier than trying to fit a big wrench on the line fittings.
6. when removing the compressor there are only two bolts holding it to the car. remove the lower one first, then the upper one. it is the heaviest part of the system so be ready. there was also lots of oil in mine, so don't tip it.
8. with the compressor now removed, there is a bracket bolted to the block with 4 allen head bolts. some are hard to see.
7. the line connections on the evaporator are covered in a sticky 'goo' that needs to be removed to get to them. it is easily peeled off.
8. there are 4 screws holding the plastic cover on over the evaporator. all are easy to get to except the rear, so be prepared with a stubby screwdriver or a magic wand.
9. i was able to slide the evaporator out, but it was tight, so be careful.

everything else is very obvious. i already had the aux fan removed, but everything else took me approx one hour going at a very leisurely pace as i was chatting with a friend.

[Chris]

removal is very easy and straight foward. there are a few things that i will note though.
1. some of the fittings are big. i believe one of them was over 1" which is my largest wrench, so be prepared with a big adjustable.
2. i pulled my aux fan out in pieces because i couldn't get the mounting bolts loose, so i don't know how easy it is to remove it intact.
3. there are two connections on the condensor, you only need to remove the top one. trace the other line back to the drier and remove the fitting at that location. its easier to do it there, and you can remove the condensor with the line attached.
4. the connections at the condensor are fragile, so be sure to use a wrench to hold things steady.
5. when removing the hoses from the compressor, unbolt the allen head bolts(2 per hose). this is much easier than trying to fit a big wrench on the line fittings.
6. when removing the compressor there are only two bolts holding it to the car. remove the lower one first, then the upper one. it is the heaviest part of the system so be ready. there was also lots of oil in mine, so don't tip it.
8. with the compressor now removed, there is a bracket bolted to the block with 4 allen head bolts. some are hard to see.
7. the line connections on the evaporator are covered in a sticky 'goo' that needs to be removed to get to them. it is easily peeled off.
8. there are 4 screws holding the plastic cover on over the evaporator. all are easy to get to except the rear, so be prepared with a stubby screwdriver or a magic wand.
9. i was able to slide the evaporator out, but it was tight, so be careful.

everything else is very obvious. i already had the aux fan removed, but everything else took me approx one hour going at a very leisurely pace as i was chatting with a friend.

Just the kind of info I was looking for.

Thanks! :razz:

[JungleGus]

where is the evaporator? unless its something ive taken out on my last two removals ??

[draculia]

its the part that the lines go to in the cabin. its located on the passenger's side under the dash back against the firewall.

[DJB]

The two tube connections to the evaporator are
- 19mm and 22mm, holding expansion valve body with 24mm
Compressor to condensor hose:
22mm, 7/8", wrench for both ends,

The receiver/drier is not intended to be a reusable part.
It has a filter (would you re-use an oil filter?) and dissicant that starts sucking moisture out of the air as soon as it is unsealed.

If you need to do leak testing you can bake a little moisture out of the drier by putting it in a warm (220F, just over boiling) electric oven (gas ovens are moist) for a while (an hour or two). That will keep any mositure that comes out of the oil from frosting up the expansion valve. But you should use a freshly unsealed receiver/drier when you have finished fixing the leaks, removing the seals just before you attach the lines.

Note that A/C stop-leak works by hardening around moisture. You shouldn't use it if you don't have a perfectly dry system, or if you think that you'll ever open the system again.
Think of it as the "final repair", just like welding shut a stripped oil drain plug.

[erehemantresni]

the old style ac compressors are heavier. they are cast iron not aluminum

[Cephas]

I don't know how you guys live without AC. Not even the invention of the light bulb can compare with the idea of compressing a gas and cooling the surrounding space from it. =D>

[diegom6]

I don't know how you guys live without AC. Not even the invention of the light bulb can compare with the idea of compressing a gas and cooling the surrounding space from it. =D>

ditto! I have my A/C intact with my Turbo stuff in there. :razz:

[Chris]

removal is very easy and straight foward. there are a few things that i will note though.
1. some of the fittings are big. i believe one of them was over 1" which is my largest wrench, so be prepared with a big adjustable.
2. i pulled my aux fan out in pieces because i couldn't get the mounting bolts loose, so i don't know how easy it is to remove it intact.
3. there are two connections on the condensor, you only need to remove the top one. trace the other line back to the drier and remove the fitting at that location. its easier to do it there, and you can remove the condensor with the line attached.
4. the connections at the condensor are fragile, so be sure to use a wrench to hold things steady.
5. when removing the hoses from the compressor, unbolt the allen head bolts(2 per hose). this is much easier than trying to fit a big wrench on the line fittings.
6. when removing the compressor there are only two bolts holding it to the car. remove the lower one first, then the upper one. it is the heaviest part of the system so be ready. there was also lots of oil in mine, so don't tip it.
8. with the compressor now removed, there is a bracket bolted to the block with 4 allen head bolts. some are hard to see.
7. the line connections on the evaporator are covered in a sticky 'goo' that needs to be removed to get to them. it is easily peeled off.
8. there are 4 screws holding the plastic cover on over the evaporator. all are easy to get to except the rear, so be prepared with a stubby screwdriver or a magic wand.
9. i was able to slide the evaporator out, but it was tight, so be careful.

everything else is very obvious. i already had the aux fan removed, but everything else took me approx one hour going at a very leisurely pace as i was chatting with a friend.

Just the kind of info I was looking for.

Thanks! :razz:

I'll be attacking the A/C this week.

Thanks again for the writeup.

[bmw2ner]

if you still have the reciever/dryer, and it is working, I will buy it off you. (if you want to get rid of it)

I'm also in need one hard line running along the PS fender. I will take a pic of it, it has a hole in it.

and then an r134 recharge

I just took mine out and I still have the line and will have the reciever by the end of the week. I assume by reciever that you mean the think infront of the radiator. Both are in good shape